WOODS HOLE – Hazardous materials technicians were called to a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute lab at 360 Woods Hole Road about 11 PM Friday. Firefighters responded to an automatic fire alarm and discovered an odor and the sprinkler system had activated. The location is known as Building 22 the Watson Lab. It was not immediately clear what substance was involved as further details were not immediately available.
Falmouth Fire-Rescue/CWN
Update: Falmouth Fire-Rescue reports that on Saturday evening (April 13th) personnel responded to a commercial fire alarm at the Watson Lab on the Quissett Campus on Woods Hole Rd. Personnel arrived and upon gaining entry to the building noted an odor of smoke and that the sprinkler system was activated, and water was flowing in one of the lab spaces. The response was upgraded to include additional apparatus and personnel as further investigation ensured. The lab space where the sprinkler was flowing was designated as a lab with use of materials that required the FD to request a response from the State HazMat team and representatives from WHOI who were familiar with the lab activity and contents. Upon further consultation with WHOI staff, safe entry could be made to the space, and it was quickly determined that indeed that a fire had occurred in the room and was confined to some drawers and an adjacent cabinet. The fire was quickly extinguished by the sprinkler system. Fire personnel assisted with support of the sprinkler system and hose deployment from the standpipe connection and ensured that the fire was extinguished. Representatives from the State HazMat team were on hand to assist along with WHOI facility staff as FD staff investigated the cause of the fire. Fire damage was confined to the room of origin and water and smoke damage was minimal.
